This invention relates in general to protective covers for golf clubs and in particular, to such covers which protect the head and shaft of the clubs when they are used during play of the game or are being shipped or stored. This invention also provides a protective cover which allows the club to be inserted into the cover in two separate ways; either from the bottom of the cover or by means of an access opening in the upper portion of the cover.
Recent developments in golf club designs have made the protection of golf clubs when not in use more important than in the past. For example, the introduction of the graphite shaft to replace the traditional steel shaft has made protection of the shaft important. When these clubs are in the golf bag and transported during the game, the shafts tend to rub against the edge of the bag or against the partitions in the bag used to separate various groups of clubs. This rubbing on the bag can abrade a xe2x80x9crub ringxe2x80x9d on the shaft which first causes cosmetic damage but which can, after time, cause physical damage to the shaft. Also the use of more exotic metals for the club heads, especially the xe2x80x9cwoodsxe2x80x9d such as the driver and long fairway clubs, has made protection of the club head equally important.
To provide this protection, long tubular sleeves often referred to as xe2x80x9csocksxe2x80x9d are known to protect the shafts in the bag and large soft bulbous head covers are attached to the top of the xe2x80x9csocks.xe2x80x9d It is often difficult to thread the club head through this narrow xe2x80x9csock,xe2x80x9d especially when the head of the club is oversized, which is popular today.
To thread the club head through the narrow tubular sleeve of the xe2x80x9csock,xe2x80x9d the club shaft is often rested on the ground while the club is held vertical. The head of the club is then threaded through the sock opening into the head cover. However, if the grass is wet or the ground is damp or muddy, the shaft grip, resting on the ground, becomes wet, slippery and/or contaminated with dirt or other abrasives which often interfere with a firm and comfortable grip of the golfer. Also, the moisture and contaminates often accelerate degradation and deterioration of the shaft grip.
Additionally, if the head of the club has acquired soil or other contaminates during use, these abrasive elements can be trapped in the shaft xe2x80x9csockxe2x80x9d and will further add to the frictional damage acquired as discussed above.
It would therefore be desirable to have a protective cover for today""s golf clubs that could be used to overcome and avoid the noted difficulties.
The present invention overcomes the difficulties and disadvantages of the prior art by providing a golf club cover which not only protects the shaft and club head but also provides a flexible sleeve member, to protect the shaft, attached to a semi-rigid head cover. The head cover has a reinforced opening in the side wall so that the club may be inserted into the top of the cover. The semi-rigid head cover keeps the side wall opening readily accessible and also provides additional protection from damage by the bag rim or adjacent clubs during play and shipping.
The present invention also comprises a flexible sleeve member with an opening so that the club can be easily removed from the cover by pulling the flexible sleeve portion over the club head, or the cover can be easily placed on the golf club head by sliding the cover down over the club, thereby providing the more standard means of application as an alternative, when weather and course conditions permit.